(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to assistance devices for arthritic individuals and, more particularly, to a combined small object-manipulation assist device for operating keys, buttons and zippers and a method for using same.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Many persons have ailments that affect their ability to use their hands. An estimated 43 million Americans suffer from arthritis and other similar conditions, and each year one million new patients develop arthritis. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 60 million people in the US will have arthritis by 2020. The largest component of the target market is individuals 65 or older. Also it is well documented that younger people comprise half of all people affected. There are also an estimated 250,000 children in the US who have arthritis. It is estimated that one million new patients are developing arthritis each year in the US. Arthritis is the main cause of activity limitation in the United States, and as a result, sufferers are quick to purchase any remedy or device that will help eliminate discomfort or maintain independence. It is believed that an estimated 10 billion dollars is spent yearly in the US on unproven arthritis remedies alone. Other ailments that affect an individual""s capacity to manipulate small objects include carpal-tunnel syndrome, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, wrist and forearm fractures, birth defects, amputees, wearing casts, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, quadriplegia, etc., as well as the side effects of many medications that cause the loss of the sensation of touch and/or grip strength.
Thus, persons with such ailments or side effects from medication need devices to facilitate key-turning, zippering and buttoning. Often it is quite difficult for individuals with ailments affecting the hands to grip and operate smaller objects such as many modern keys having relatively small heads, zippers, and buttons. In the case of the elderly and for some children as well, many have limited hand dexterity that results in difficulty in holding and/or grasping objects. Such limited hand dexterity also leads to reduced ability of such individuals to pick up, manipulate and exert force on small objects. The action of pinching a key head, a zipper, or a button and manipulating the same small object may be painful, awkward or even impossible to perform. As a result there exists a need for a device to help these persons with manipulating small objects such as keys, buttons and zippers.
For example, in the case of keys, a majority of door locks and ignition system locks involve inserting a key into a keyhole and turning the key. This includes locks for doors of homes, offices, vehicles and other applications. Keys are well known in the security industry and are normally flat-bodied/planar/laminal and elongated devices, with the length being longer than the width. The shank of the key is the longer component and contains cut-out components, a series of irregularities such as teeth, and grooves on the shank configured to contact and correspond to various mating elements, pins and tumblers of the core of a cylinder lock, with the result that rotating the inserted key rotates the lock core to its desired location. The head of the key or also base of the key is an extension of the shank and is an enlarged component of same, such that a person using the key can manually hold the key-head, insert the shank into the keyhole, and exert torque on the head, thus completing the operation of unlocking a door or actuating an ignition switch. Generally the planar form of the key head is not chosen primarily for ease of use but to enable inexpensive manufacture, coding and compact storage of several keys on a single key ring.
Arthritis and a variety of other physical ailments and medications with side effects can reduce the ability of a key user to exert sufficient torque on a key in order to rotate a lock cylinder, the ability of a person to grasp and manipulate a zipper to open or close an opening, the ability of a person trying to manipulate a button to grasp the button properly and insert it through a button-hole.
Prior art commonly employs a number of small object-manipulation assist devices for the purpose of assisting persons who have difficulty handling small objects.
In the case of keys, prior art key-turning assist devices come in a variety of designs and styles having various names such as xe2x80x9cKey Turnerxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cEZ Key,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cEZ Key Turnerxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cHand Keyxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cCarpal Turn Keyxe2x80x9d.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,844 to Richard L. Draegar describes a key leverage extending apparatus and method for assisting in the operation of a key in a lock. It provides for a leverage extender having a base member comprising a pair of opposed ends secured to a pair of opposed sides and a pair of opposed tops secured respectively to the opposed ends and the opposed sides such that there is a longitudinal aperture formed in between. A handle member is secured to one of the opposed sides, comprising an angular disposition relative to a plane of the base and having handle sides thereof parallel to the opposed sides. At least one set screw aperture is disposed in one of the opposed sides and is adapted to threadably receiving a set screw. A set screw member is threadably disposed in the set screw aperture. The apparatus is secured to flanges of a lock cylinder and a key is passed between the top members of the leverage extender and into the lock cylinder. Force is then applied to the handle member to operate the lock cylinder. Alternatively, a head of the key is secured to the leverage extender, and the key/leverage extender combination is disposed in the lock to subsequently turn the handle member of the leverage extender and operate the lock.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,951 to Adam E. Krass describes a key turning device that facilitates turning a key in a keyhole of lock consisting of an elongated housing having distal and proximal ends. A receiving, unrestricted opening is formed within a housing and extends between the distal and proximal ends substantially along a longitudinal axis of the housing. At least one key is pivotally arranged at the proximal end of the housing.
In operation, the key is transverse to the housing and the key is turned in the keyhole of the lock by a force applied to the housing. An area of application of this turning force is distributed along and restricted by the received opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,471 to Frank Rizzo describes a holder for key including key turner. The holder has deployable wings and a chain for holding additional keys. The key is held in a central compartment of the holder by the urging of a key stop projection. The projection assists in holding the key-head during operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,102 to Bryan E. Gapco describes a key handle which is a bulbous hand grip that facilitates the turning of a key within a lock by increasing the turning radius through which the key is turned, as well as providing finger and hand surfaces which may be utilized during turning. The hand grip may include a substantially arculate or spheroidal surface contour. The key may be secured within the hand grip by elastic deformation forces and/or by conventional fasteners.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,447 to Nolen et al. describes a device that facilitates the buttoning and unbuttoning, as well as the zipping and unzipping, of clothing for individuals with limited manual dexterity. The device has an insertion component at one end for sliding into a buttonhole, a buttoner component at the other end in the form of a hook and an unbuttoner component therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,646 to Gabriel Sebastian describes a device formed from a one piece length of wire and includes a pair of wire members forming a short handle which then inclines downwardly and spreads apart and extends parallel to the handle and then converges and inclines upwardly at the closed ended tip component thereof. The closed ended tip is engaged through the button hole and over the button with the widest part spreading the button hole transversely thus enable the button to be pulled through easily whereupon the hole returns to its original elongated configuration and the device can be easily disengaged from the button. The stepped component spaces the handle clear of the shirt surface for ease of manipulation and eliminates distortion of the neck component of the shirt as it is used to engage the button through the button hole thereby eliminating strain on the button and preventing creasing from occurring.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,191 to Detrick et al. describes a zipper operating device for manipulating a slide fastener having a sliding operator member and a tab member connected to the sliding member. The zipper operating device includes a tang member, which may be received within a hole in the tab member whereby the zipper operating device may engage the sliding member for manipulation thereof. The zipper operating device is shaped generally like a key and includes a head component and a shank component extending therefrom. A hole is provided in the head component distal from the shank component such that the device may be attached to a key ring or key chain.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,966 to Alan Wheat describes a tool for facilitating the movement of a zipper including a handle, an arm connected to and extending transversely to a longitudinal axis of the handle, and a zipper flap receiving area formed in the arm at an end opposite the handle. The zipper flap receiving area serves to receive a zipper flap therein. The handle is integrally connected to the arm. The arm has a top surface, a bottom surface, a first side surface, and a second side surface. The zipper flap receiving area extends into the first side surface and through the arm from the top surface to the bottom surface. The zipper flap receiving area is a slot formed in the arm having an opening in the first side surface. The arm also has a tapered surface formed at an end opposite the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,447 to Nolen et al. describes a device that facilitates the buttoning and unbuttoning, as well as the zipping and unzipping, of clothing for individuals with limited manual dexterity. The device has an insertion component at one end for sliding into a buttonhole, a buttoner component at the other end in the form of a hook and an unbuttoner component therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,487 to Carr et al. describes a combination zipper aid and shoehorn device wherein a conventionally shaped shoehorn for use by the individual in slipping shoes or similar footwear onto one""s foot is provided with an opening on the narrow end of the shoehorn into which is retractably fitted a device for assisting in closing or opening zippers on one""s apparel. The zipper aid consists of a length of cord material provided with a hook on one end, with the cord being spring wound onto a spool contained within a housing with the housing being retractable into the end of the shoehorn for storage thereof or out of the shoehorn so that the hook on the end of the cord can be attached to a zipper tab and, using the shoehorn as a handle, enabling an individual to readily open or close the zipper on one""s garment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,958 to LaMachhia et al. describes a combination bracelet, button, and zipper fastening device includes an elongated handle having a first end and a second end with a first releasable clamping means coupled to the first end and a removable, reversible end cap on the second end. The first releasable clamping means are operable to releasably hold at least one interlocking member of a releasable clasp of a bracelet. The removable, reversible end cap has a button hook and a chain attached to one end and an interlocking member on the other end. A second releasable clamping means is attached to the end of the chain. The handle is sized and configured to be held in a hand of a person so that the first clamping means is positioned to rest on a wrist adjoining the hand holding the handle so that a person using the bracelet fastening device can hold and position with one hand at least one interlocking member of the releasable clasp on the adjoining wrist while using the other free hand to fasten the other interlocking member of the clasp therewith to securely retain the bracelet around the wrist. The handle includes a hollow which is accessible from the second end and which is dimensioned to store the second clamping means, the chain, and the button hook.
As described in the patents above, many assist-devices exist to help manipulate small objects. In the case of key assistance devices described above, the key is generally fastened to the device or cannot readily adjust to various key-head sizes. Thus there remains a need for a general assist device that operates without generally having to fasten a key to the device and that can readily adjust to various key-head sizes. Moreover, there are small object devices with handles to facilitate buttoning and unbuttoning and zippering. The ""447 device by Nolan et al. functions both to button and zip; however the bent component serves both purposes. An enclosed oblong loop with malleable wire such as provided in the present invention better serves the purpose of engaging various sizes of buttons. Also in the ""447 device the wiry handle may be difficult to grasp. In the case of individuals who have problems gripping the handle there exists a need for a small object-manipulation assist device with a handle that will facilitate manipulation of buttons and zippers using not only one""s entire hand but using one or more fingers. Combination devices exist for bracelet, button and zipper fastening, and zipper and shoehorn fastening. Yet no devices exist that combine zipping, buttoning and key manipulation. The small object manipulation device and method described here averts limitations in the prior art and provides an alternative device and method for persons with ailments affecting the hand to operate a key in a key-lock mechanism, to manipulate buttons and, and to use a zipper.
The present invention is directed to a device that assists persons with ailments affecting the hand to manipulate small objects. One aspect of the present invention is directed to a combination multi-small-object manipulation device for using and handling keys, buttons and zippers wherein the button/zipper assist interlocks into a key assist. Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a method for using the same.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings.